WATCH : Giants 2 - 1 Steelers
The Stena Line Belfast Giants defeated the Sheffield Steelers 2-1 in a dominant display on Saturday night in Belfast.
The Stena Line Belfast Giants defeated the Sheffield Steelers 2-1 in a dominant display on Saturday night in Belfast. The win sees the Giants move into second place in the Elite League standings.
Jackson Whistle got the start in the Belfast net as both he and David Rutherford made their long awaited return to the line-up after a lengthy injured spell.
The Giants deserved their lead following early pressure on Mustukovs in the Sheffield net and they continued their first period dominance afterwards. The hosts forced the Steelers netminder into a series of saves - outshooting their opponents 11-6.
The second period was the story of two in-form netminders as both Whistle and Mustukovs denied their opponents on multiple occasions. Giants netminder Whistle was particularly impressive, flashing the glove to keep the Steelers from scoring.
The Giants came flying out of the traps in the third period and once more piled the pressure on their opponents. The Giants made their dominance pay off with a second goal of the game at 43:29. Michael Forney found himself all alone in the Steelers zone, skated the puck in on net, pulled a move and threw the puck into the top shelf to put his side 2-0 ahead.
John Armstrong grabbed a late goal to raise the tension around The SSE Arena - however the Giants closed out the game in style to earn a much deserved win over the Steelers.
The Giants return to action on Sunday with an away game against the Manchester Storm, face-off 5:30pm. The next home game in Belfast is next Saturday, 17th December, against the Nottingham Panthers and tickets are now on sale online through Ticketmaster and from the Arena Box Office in person and by calling 028 9073 9074.
Final Score
Stena Line Belfast Giants 2-1 Sheffield Steelers
Giants Man of the Match #1 Jackson Whistle